Smouldering Eyes Photo

Photographer's Note

The Ramayana is a great Indian epic that is loved all over South East Asia. The story of the Ramayana greatly inspires the Balinese, the Balinese version though differs from the Indian version. Many of the Balinese dances are based on this great story which is often depicted in the form of Legong dance, which is considered to be the most graceful of the Balinese dances.

The full story is massive, and told only in episodes. The most popular episode tells the story of Prince Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Laksmana. They are banished from their kingdom and wandering through the forest.

Because Rama and Laksmana are seen as idealized personifications of beauty, they are played by women. Legongs are well known for their dramatic eye movements. The dancers always keep their lips closed. The movements of the eyes have a very strong importance, like the movements and positioning of the hands and fingers.

We went to see the Ramayana Dance at the Puri Saren Agung in Ubud, also known as the Ubud palace. The troupe presented a few glimpses of Balinese dance and music before going on to the main feature of the day, the Balinese Ramayana. As the Gamelan music began, one could visualise the infinitely varied Balinese landscape. Dance, melody and the accentuated rhythm of gong, drums, and cymbals together formed an indivisible whole. The delicate headgears, the silks on slender waists and simple expressions made the show an exercise in beauty and delicacy.

Focal length = 306 mm
ISO 100

Though I have to admit that it was not easy to capture the graceful & swift dance motions effectively with my camera, especially due to the longish exposure coupled with long zoom handheld....hence there is some motion blur. Hope you would like it.

delic, savask, daddo, ndb1958, pboehringer, jmdaoudal, vinicio, emjleclercq, carper, ChrisJ, papagolf21, kiwi_explorer, atus, riclopes, josepmarin, pierrefonds, vivekrb, plimrn, adores, edytungkal, axiotea, sagar, Budapestman, patdeph, Photo65Net, gpsony, Vato_Law ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

delic (6735) 2007-09-22 7:12

Those eyes are absolutely amazing. Composition and colors are very good. Her face is sharp, so complaints there either. Well-written note, too. Very nice work, Angshu! Regards,
Hakan

savask (1891) 2007-09-22 7:41

Great colors nad expression. It is a lively image full of light and energy

daddo (28698) 2007-09-22 7:48

Hi Angshuman. Dramatic stance, stunning glare, superb costume. I also like the difference in the dancer's strong presence and the musicians' low profile role. Great light.Regards.Klaudio.

ndb1958 (9289) 2007-09-22 9:55

That's pretty cool, Angshu. The right second. Even if I enjoy most the kecak dance this is a brilliant capture of the legong dancer. The eyes are ubeleaveble. Love it, Nino.

jasmis (58603) 2007-09-22 12:04

Fine composition. Dynamic photo. Really well done.
Regards.

pboehringer (770) 2007-09-22 18:00

Angshuman,
I'm not quite sure if I buy that. A handheld 306 mm focal length with a 1/10s exposure ...? That sounds almost like Baron Muenchausen. But at any rate, the image is superb and perfect. The dancer with her facial expression and eyes cotnrasting with the guy sitting in the right corner is simply fantastic.
Regards, Peter

siolaw (38294) 2007-09-22 21:58

Hi Angshu,
her eyes make mine almost pop ot the same way as hers! ;D Colors and sharpness are excellent... just a pity you didn't frame a bit more on the left to get her right hand and arm entirely and supress one of these guys, but if i look the conditions, it is already quite a feat..If i shoot handheld at 1/10, it will be blurred with even a short focal...at 300mm you wouldn't see her! I wonder how you do that! No smoke and no drink a must!!!
Greetings
Laurent

jmdaoudal (82) 2007-09-22 23:28

Colors, face, lights and depth, here are all the quality for this styled photo, that wold have been better then with a wider frame to let a little more place in front of the right arm and hand.
The main element that make this good work is the shot at the time the expressive face is not moving.
Luky you are to visit this great Bali culture and find such subjects to take.
I like this one very much.
jean Michel

Graal (103038) 2007-09-22 23:37

Hi Angshuman,
unusual eyes and pose of dancer, good captured a moment. Pleasant warm colours and beautiful costume. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

vinicio (23423) 2007-09-23 0:20

Amazing expression of her face, I know a bit your traditional dances, only viewed into some movie or documentaries, and find them always fascinating and beautiful. Excellent portrait Angshu, taken in the right moment and with beautiful light and colors, compliments.
Ciao
Vinicio

emjleclercq (15778) 2007-09-23 0:31

Astonishing eyes, so wide open. THe contrasts and colors are good despite the low light. I will mainly critize the framing, which could have been slightly more on the left to get the full hand, but I believe the low light made framing a bit tricky.

All the best,

Emmanuel

carper (96) 2007-09-23 0:32

well Angshuman,
this is a very good shot. what an eyes, the pov is good, and the quality is fine, I agree with kath about the iso. But it is an art how you took this shot, very good job, have a nice day.
gr. jaap

ChrisJ (152452) 2007-09-23 0:35

Hi Angshuman

It must be interesting for you to see this relic of Indianised culture in Bali. A good portrait & excellent choice of a vertical portrait frame. Tfs!

papagolf21 (145146) 2007-09-23 0:51

Bonjour, mon ami Angshu,
Ah ! ce regard pénétrant, il nous hypnose avec délice. Une photo merveilleusement belle à tous points de vue.
Un grand bravo, mon ami, pour cette réalisation.
Amitiés.
Philippe

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2007-09-23 1:19

Hi Angshuman,
Good lighting management using the stage lights ... great contrasts and shadows. The details is also very good especially the colorful costume. Well captured and presented. Well done! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

atus (15858) 2007-09-23 1:33

Hello Angshu,
very well captured and framed portrait of the dancer. The low light conditions are very well managed and the focus on her face is very good, giving us the opportunity to admire her impressive eyes. The blur due to the motion is a very nice effect and adds dynamism to the picture. Very good one, my friend!
Tfs and heve a nice Sunday.
Attila

Stepan (27210) 2007-09-23 2:05

I wish you have focused only on the eyes, which are really amazing. But except the realization is excellent and I suppose it was pretty hard to compose and shoot.
Well done.
Stéphane

feather (51130) 2007-09-23 2:06

Her eyes are the most expressive of any I have seen and absolutely huge. I imagine watching the dances based on stories which are part of your culture helps you to understand the dance moves. The quality of this is fantastic especially in the circumstances you describe, but did you not think to increase the ISO?.
Kath

riclopes (35577) 2007-09-23 2:42

Very impressive portrait, Angshu. Her eyes are fantastic, as well as her hand(s) and decorations. The sharpness is really good considering the conditions and I love the blurr from the movement. We can forgot about those two faces in the background, but it's dificult not to think about your camera pointing a bit to the left, so you could get the other hand in the composition. It's still a superb shot. Congratulations for it.
Have a nice sunday,
ricardo

prumod (8300) 2007-09-23 2:58

your eyes pulled her eyes out, dear angshu! not only eyes, entire beauty!
amazing shot with wonderful clarity!
greetings...

josepmarin (59383) 2007-09-23 3:17

Hi Angshuman,
An excellent capture of the dancer, with a look and an absolutely amazing eyes, which call the attention by its great expressiveness.
Perfect work with the light and the colors in this capture in spite of the difficulty for the movement, the exposure and the long zoom.
Great shot, my friend.
Best regards,
Josep

jhm (191415) 2007-09-23 4:33

Hi Angshu,

What a eyes and wonderful face, this is beautiful taken, with a great sharpness and fantastic colour. My compliments for this one.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice sunday,
John.

pierrefonds (93605) 2007-09-23 5:41

Hi Angshuman,

A nice close-up image of the face of the dancer and of her expression, the photo has a good composition, sharpness and nice colors. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre

vivekrb (240) 2007-09-23 7:46

Hi Angshu

This is a fabulous picture showcasing the beautiful makeup and the dance of Bali. I know how difficult it is to get a crisp shot of artistes in action under low light conditions as i experienced when i tried to get a few shots of the Kandyan dancers in Sri Lanka. But more often than not, motion blur actually adds to the picture as it gives a feel for the motion in the dance. You captured this at the perfect moment with the perfect expression. Lovely colors as well. Good job

Cheers
Vivek

clic (22826) 2007-09-23 8:27

Hello Angshuman
What a strange look; as if one of those guys applies an ice cube on her back!!!
Composition-wise, presence of all characters complies with the principle of three.
Your choice of a motion blur suits well to a dance.
Best regards.
Robert

plimrn (21344) 2007-09-23 9:54

Hi Angshu,
VERY WELL DONE!! Your shot has captured wonderful detail and natural feeling colors. I know well the difficulty of shootong in stage light. Naturally one would love to see that other hand with it's action-filled motion blur but the blur of her tassels emphasizes the amazing the sharpness of her face. I read the note while the picture was loading and your word picture is almost as good as your photo. HLJ, Pat

adores (46979) 2007-09-23 15:35

Hi Angshuman!
Considering the conditions you have done a great work. Her expression is fabulous, the light is very good, I even like the way you included the two musicians. Good composition! I like the details, especially her hat with all those flowers. Good shot!

edytungkal (4551) 2007-09-23 20:24

You have captured a great expressions from the dancer which beautiful golden costume. A very stunning picture, Angshu. I like it alot, tfs

daniel

John_F_Kennedy (43763) 2007-09-23 23:23

Great movement effect and vivid colours. Nice view on that ritual. Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

axiotea (21651) 2007-09-24 0:26

Bonjour Angshu
I think the result is good without tripod and you caught very well the dancer expression with her big eyes popping out, her graciousness in her movement and the details of her costume. It is very nice to see as well the two Balinese men behind her, especially the one with the closed eyes .
Have a nice day
Marilyn

vincz (19113) 2007-09-24 1:20

Fascinating glance, excellent colors, excellent textures. I don't really mind about the motion blur , I feel it participates to the feeling of motion here. A great one.

toto (0) 2007-09-24 1:38

Belle photo de cette danseuse, quel expression, quelle emotion captée de façons magnifique par votre photo, bien prise, bien nette, les détails entre autre de son habit très joliment coloré,de son regard au grands yeux, tout y est. Merci de votre partage. Amitiés Thomas

batalay (41261) 2007-09-24 6:53

Hello Mr. B,

This is quite astonishing! You've captured the moment beautifully, and you've captured the spirit of the dance. The perspective and composition is excellent; the colors and definition superlative. The young dancer with her eye bulging is amazingly dramatic, and the usual informative note has been suppled to educate us all. An A+, Mr. B,

Warm regards,

Bulent

sagar (2410) 2007-09-24 23:55

Hi Angshumanda,
Lovely capture of the dancer!!!What eyes!!!!Just the perfect lights and color to fit into the mood of the shot!!!Amazing one!!
Sagarneel.

sayat (2949) 2007-09-25 2:51

This is amazing Dear Angshu! All the details (and of course the beautiful and hypnotizing eyes) are magnificently reflected in your shot. What impresses me a lot is the way you capture the light just as right as it can be. Great shot. Goes to my favorites.

Budapestman (82620) 2007-09-25 3:55

Dear Angshu,
Magnificent portrait, What a look! This is a really fascinating moment. POV is very spectacular, colours are beautiful. I like the decorative and gleaming details, clarity is superb, lights as well. Amazing shot, I like it very much. Have a nice day
George

patdeph (35750) 2007-09-26 0:07

namaste Angshuman
the eyes oh this woman are incredible!I have seen these legong dance,and it's really amazing the way they have to change their expresion so quickly,and the way they have to move their arms and hands!It was a great pleasure to see this shows!I didn't success to do a so sharp photo,it's why I admire your work!wonderful!
have a nice day.
Pascale

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-09-26 3:48

Hi ANgshu, very good image!
the eyes are incredible with a strong expression!
i like a lot also the people around the dancer..
very good!
ciao!
Valeria

Photo65Net (43144) 2007-09-26 10:53

Angshuman,
Wow !
Amazing catch, with incredible face expression on this dancer.
Light and exposure are spot on.
Beautiful,
Regards,
JB.

marietom (34611) 2007-09-28 2:08

Hi Angshuman,

Sompeutux, ce portrait, quelle expression dans le regard !
Marie

sayan (2617) 2007-09-29 3:05

Hello Angshuman da,

Splendid work. The expression is beautifully captured. What I like most is the fact that instead of all odds (handheld camera, long exposure) you have managed this shot perfectly. The motion blurs are essential in this type of composition but what is amazing is the sharpness of the face of the dancer. That is remarkable. Very nice work.

regards

sayan

noborders (1010) 2007-10-09 22:04

You took the photo of this dancer at the perfect moment, her expression is stunning and typical of the intensity in the Balinese art of dancing. Funny to see the person who seems to sleep on the right, in total contrast, but maybe is it a musician very deeply involved in his play ?
Congratulations,
Cath.

Vato_Law (12732) 2007-10-10 13:09

Hello Angshuman,
You've told it on your note: the eyes are very important such as the hands movement. And therew they are on your photo the strong look and the hands smooth movement. It's a pity thr right hand is a bit cropped ut the left one and the eyes, wow! what a look! Her clothes for this dance are simply outstanding not only cause they have such rich details but also because the bring up light to your photo.
I like this one a lot!
Cheers.
Paulo

Jonas_Schmitt (3074) 2007-11-25 4:52

Hi!

Very good picture of a great scene!
I like the colors and your point of view.
Very nice!

Jonas

akg (166) 2009-07-05 21:02